Carnival Attraction
by Jenbunny
Summary: On a date at the carnival with a girl from his class, Mamoru unexpectedly catches sight of his 'nemesis' and finds he just can't ignore her. For the purposes of this story Usagi and Mamoru go to the same school, though she's a freshman and he is a senior. Mamoru is a popular guy, while Usagi is not very popular at all.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:** Ok I realize it has been a long time since I last updated my lust and love story and I apologize for that. I haven't forgotten it, in fact I've begun working on it again. I've been going through a lot of things for the last two years that have made my writing not worth anything. I'm back now, but still kind of slow ^^ … I'll get the next chapter for that up as soon as possible. For now, I've managed to work on this little something. It started out suppose to be something small, but has grown. I don't know exactly where it is going, but I hope that you enjoy it … I've got two chapters already, I'll add the other shortly. I'm going to work on lust and love first, but I'll be working on chapter 3 for this one soon enough, plus possibly other ones. :

**"On a date at the carnival with a girl from his class, Mamoru unexpectedly catches sight of his 'nemesis' and finds he just can't ignore her. For the purposes of this story Usagi and Mamoru go to the same school, though she's a freshman and he is a senior. Mamoru is a popular guy, while Usagi is not very popular at all."**

Anyway, I am a slow writer but I promise I will finish my stories as soon as possible. Just be patient with me ...

Now on to the story ...

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Mamoru smiled politely at the girl at his side and murmured an answer that would satisfy her, even though internally he was wishing he was anywhere but right there. Manami was a beautiful girl, every guy's dream really. She had long beautiful raven colored hair, expressive dark brown eyes, and curves in all the right places. She was not only a straight 'A' student, but she was also the captain of the school's female baseball team. Manami was most definitely the 'perfect' girl, though Mamoru had never really believed her 'kind and sweet' act was very real.

Manami had been interested in Mamoru for pretty much his entire high school year, though he usually ignored her. Sure she was beautiful and witty, but she had never really caught his attention. She could never hold a candle to the beautiful and mysterious princess that haunted his dreams. Mamoru hadn't yet found anyone that could really.

He would have turned down this date like he had turned down each and every one of them before hand. He had been going to but she had made it almost impossible for him to do so. Right before he had delivered his rejection Manami had suddenly called Motoki over and told him that if he could convince Mamoru to go to the carnival with her then she convince Reika into going with him on a sort of double date.

Considering the fact that Motoki had been crushing on Reika since junior high, he had immediately dragged Mamoru aside. After a few minutes of Motoki begging him to accept the date and telling him that it wouldn't hurt him to just go on one date with the girl, Mamoru finally accepted. Motoki was right about one thing, it wouldn't physically hurt him and maybe if he took her on one date she would lose interest in him. Besides, he would be helping his best friend out in something and that was the most important thing.

This was why he found himself here at this crowded little carnival having less then a good time. Manami did know how to make interesting conversations and on most occasions Mamoru didn't really mind talking to her, but in this atmosphere he was more then a little uncomfortable. He just didn't feel anything for Manami and he didn't like pretending. He glanced over at Motoki and Reika playing a game a little further down the path and smiled just a bit. The two of them seemed to be having a great time so at least his attempt at helping his friend had worked out. Perhaps now Motoki would be brave enough to ask Reika out on his own dates so that Mamoru could at least feel as if the day had been worth it.

Manami glanced at Mamoru out of the corner of her eye and frowned slightly. She really liked the guy, perhaps even loved him just a bit but he wasn't in to her at all. Yes, he was playing the attentive date and saying all the right words. Unfortunately, she knew him well enough to know that that was all it was … an act. She didn't even think he was having all that much fun.

She couldn't understand it really. What was it about her that Mamoru didn't like? They had so much in common. They could discuss any number of things for hours and they even enjoyed a lot of the same activities. Most of the other guys adored her, so why didn't the one guy that she actually wanted? What kind of tastes in a girl did Mamoru have? She knew that he did date, not only her but she had seen him occasionally date other people as well. However it was usually only for one or two dates at most before he got bored with the girls and moved on. So what was it that could hold Mamoru's attention?

Manami tugged on Mamoru's hand slightly and pointed toward a 'Crossbow Shoot' game and asked, "Mamoru-kun, do you want to try and win me a teddy bear or something?"

A very bored expression glimmered in Mamoru's eyes for a fraction of a second as he looked at the booth before it vanished behind that stoic mask he always seemed to wear. He pasted the polite smile back on to his face before opening his mouth to respond to his companion. "I suppose I could …."

The words froze in his throat the moment he caught sight of a familiar blonde leaning against the side of a booth a few feet away. Mamoru gazed at his 'nemesis' for a few seconds contemplating the fact that the two of them just seemed destined to run into each other no matter where they went. Sure, a carnival was the kind of place that Usagi would probably love to be in. However for her to be here at the exact same time that he was had to be some kind of luck, whether bad or good he wasn't exactly sure. Whatever the case he generally enjoyed the arguments they got into, they were usually the high point of his day.

Mamoru was just turning back to his date when he realized that something was different about the little brat he loved to torment. Turning back to study Usagi once more it didn't take him long to notice that she was upset about something. She was staring at her feet with an unhappy expression, not even really paying attention to anything around her eve though she was in a fun atmosphere. Very unlike her and it bothered him greatly.

He was halfway to Usagi before he remembered that he was abandoning his date for another girl. Mamoru hesitated, glancing back toward Manami briefly before deciding that Usagi needed him more. Besides, she wasn't a girl or rather she was but she was more a little annoying brat. Manami would understand, he was only going to check on an upset freshman to make sure she was ok. He lifted a hand in her direction to indicate he would be right back before spinning on his heels and continuing on his path to Usagi.

Manami had caught that brief flicker of boredom on Mamoru's face but she had ignored it, or at least tried to. She was feeling more and more annoyed as this date continued. Mamoru should be having fun, he should at least be pretending to be having fun. Any guy from their school would be thrilled to be on a date with her. Mamoru should be honored that she had chosen him to escort her but here he was obviously wishing he wasn't here.

She relaxed slightly when he smiled at her. It might have been a very bland and neutral smile but at least he was paying attention to her again. He was even agreeing to play the game for her, perhaps the day was looking up. Unfortunately Mamoru didn't even finish his sentence before he seemed to get distracted once again. Manami glanced over to see what Mamoru was looking at so intently.

At first she didn't connect his distraction to the girl across the way, but then she realized that it really was the blonde that was holding his attention. Manami studied the younger girl for a moment before realizing that she had seen her at school. A clumsy little freshman that had terrible study habits, named after some kind of small animal if Manami remembered correctly. She was fairly certain that this was the little girl that annoyed Mamoru constantly on a daily basis. Why did she have to be here today of all days? The carnival was going to be here all week. Oh well, they could just ignore her.

It was then that she noticed that Mamoru was actually heading toward the girl. Manami frowned immediately, somewhat annoyed that she was being abandoned for this little girl. "Mamoru-kun?" An angry flush stained her cheeks, brown eyes going hard with displeasure when the only response she received was a wave in her direction indicating Mamoru would be back. She glared irritably at both Mamoru and the girl. This date was not going well at all.

Mamoru approached Usagi, stopping a short distance away. He studied her quietly for another moment, noticing that her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Definitely unhappy and he couldn't help wondering what was wrong. The Usagi he knew wasn't this sad, so what had happened to bring her to this state?

For a fraction of a second Mamoru clenched his fists angrily at his side deciding that who ever had brought her to tears would regret it, but then he realized what he was doing and shook off the anger. There wasn't any reason for him to feel protective, Usagi wasn't anything important to him. The only reason he was over here was that it was an upperclassman's job to look out for the younger students. It didn't matter that they weren't currently at school. He was still an upperclassman, besides Usagi was important to Motoki and therefore deserved to be looked after just a bit. That was all.

Mamoru stepped forward so that he was looming over Usagi, his shadow merging with hers on the ground. As he looked down on her small form, Mamoru had a fleeting desire to pull her into his embrace so that he could soothe away whatever the hurt was. Not only was that idea squashed before it even had time to take root, but it also horrified Mamoru. Luckily he didn't have much time to even wonder where it had come from because Usagi was looking up at him with a watery but defiant glare.

Usagi had sensed the moment someone had walked up to her, more then that she knew exactly who it was without once even looking up. For as long as she had known him Mamoru, she had always been able to tell when he was nearby. Usagi continued staring at her feet, tears blurring her vision, hoping that Mamoru would move on. She really didn't have the emotional energy today to deal with him today, not when she was feeling so awful. His taunts would only make her feel worse. Unfortunately Mamoru stopped right in front of her, probably getting ready to make fun of her for crying at a carnival or something.

She took a deep breath, gathering her courage, before swiping a hand across her eyes in an attempt at getting rid of the tears, and glaring defiantly at Mamoru. "Go away Mamoru-baka. I don't want to talk to you today. Can't you just leave me alone for right now?" Usagi cringed slightly when her voice wasn't as steady as she had hoped, hating the fact that she was sounding so shaky in front of Mamoru.

It was merely habit that had Mamoru grinning smugly down at the little blonde and smoothly saying, "I …" but the words stuck in his throat at the hurt look on Usagi's face. He swallowed once before sighing and gently but firmly saying, "Look, I can't leave Odango, not until you tell me what's wrong. Why are so upset? What happened? Who did this to you?" Mamoru glanced around at the other booths nearby before looking back and adding, "Where are your friends? Aren't they usually with you?"

Usagi once again swiped her hand across her eyes, still trying to banish the tears gathering there. When Mamoru gave her his usual smug smile Usagi had expected to receive some sort of cutting remark. Some kind of insult or put down like Mamoru usually gave her whenever they spoke to one another. Her glare instantly dissolved into slight confusion, her mouth opening slightly in surprise when Mamoru merely sighed and refused to leave. It almost seemed as if he were concerned about her, but … but that couldn't be right.

His questions shook her out of her surprise, uncertainty glimmering in her eyes before she looked away. She couldn't explain, she couldn't … he would only laugh at her. She hugged herself miserably, wishing more then anything that she could be anywhere but there. Why did it have to be Mamoru that had found her here? Why couldn't it have been one of her friends, or even Motoki? They would have understood, she could have told them everything and been comforted. They could have helped her feel better, but Mamoru … he would only make her feel worse. She couldn't deal with this, not now. Why was he even at the carnival anyway? This wasn't a place she would have expected him to be.

Out of the corner of her eye Usagi could see a pretty girl, a popular senior from their school she thought, glaring in their direction. She had come from the same direction that Mamoru had come from. Perhaps she was the reason Mamoru was here at the carnival, a date … she was the type of girl Usagi would expect Mamoru to date. Pretty, popular, good in school … all of the things Usagi herself wasn't, just like that other girl. This thought only made her feel even worse then before and she hugged herself tighter, a silent tear sliding down her cheek.

Mamoru sucked in his breath and automatically stepped forward, hand reaching toward Usagi in an instinctive desire to comfort her when he saw the tear tracing its way down her face quickly followed by another. When she flinched Mamoru instantly froze, hand still held out towards her hesitantly for a moment before slowly lowering to his side. He wasn't really sure why he had this new desire to comfort Usagi. To soothe away whatever was bothering her and make it better. All he really knew was that it was oddly hard to ignore. It was like her pain was resonating with him and making it nearly impossible to just walk away.

Still he really didn't have a clue about how to comfort her and get her to talk to him. They didn't have a great relationship. He certainly didn't blame her for flinching away from him when all he usually did was tease and taunt her. Mamoru's gaze darkened in misery as he continued to watch her withdraw further into herself. This wasn't right. This wasn't his normal little odango atama. Usagi didn't deserve to be this sad. No one did, but Usagi especially didn't. She was usually so bright and cheerful that it was a shock to see her so miserable.

Mamoru glanced around helplessly, hoping to see Motoki somewhere near by. Motoki would know how to comfort Usagi. He would be able to draw her into a hug and cheer her up some how. Unfortunately he couldn't see Motoki or Reika anywhere. The couple had apparently wandered off on their own some time between now and the last time he had seen them ahead of him. He caught sight of Manami standing there, but it never really occurred to him to ask her if she could help. True the girl might could get more out of Usagi then he could, but Mamoru could see that she was getting annoyed. He had no intention of allowing her to get Usagi even more upset.

Manami saw Mamoru looking at her and motioned that he should come back over to her. This was getting irritating. This was suppose to be her date with Mamoru and there he was with that other girl. It wasn't fair. He ought to just leave the little first year alone and come back to have fun with her. Manami remembered seeing the younger blonde with a group of friends most of the time. They should be the ones dealing with the girl, not Mamoru. He was hers for the day. If he didn't get back over here soon then she was going to get really irritated.

Mamoru shook his head and signaled that he'd be a little while longer. Couldn't Manami see that Usagi was really upset? He couln't just walk off and leave her, at least not until he found out what was wrong and then delivered her to her friends. She was a friend of sorts, at least to Motoki. It wouldn't be right to leave her standing here when she was so looking so alone and hurt.

Turning back to Usagi, Mamoru frowned when he saw that the girl had been attempting to leave while his back had been turned. Luckily he had turned back just in time to prevent her from doing so. He had no intention of allowing her to escape before telling him what had happened to make her sad. Stepping forward, Mamoru caught Usagi's arm right above her elbow. He gently pulled her to a stop, steering her back against the wall, and boxing her in with his own arms so that he could stop her from trying to escape again.

When she looked up at him defiantly, eyes still wet with tears, Mamoru gave her a concerned look and gently murmured, "Usagi, please tell me what's wrong … please? I know I'm not Motoki or even your friends, but … but I don't like seeing you like this either. Someone has hurt you and I want to know what happened. Where are your friends? Do they know that ..." He was going to ask her if they knew she was here crying, but he was smart enough to figure out she would only take that as some sort of insult so he continued with another question instead. "that you're here all alone? They weren't the ones that had you in tears were they?"

Usagi was a little shocked and annoyed when Mamoru suddenly caught her arm and forced her back against the wall again. She swallowed nervously, her heart starting to race just a little at his nearness. Usagi hadn't ever been this close to him before, except for the occasional times she had run into him. There were also those times when she was yelling at him, but they didn't really count. She was generally more concerned with winning the argument then anything else and he certainly wasn't trapping her against the wall during those times. She opened her mouth prepared to yell at him and make him leave her alone, but the concern she saw darkening his gaze had her shutting her mouth in confusion. This wasn't the way Mamoru usually acted. Why was he acting like this? She knew that it might be unusual to find her crying somewhere all alone, but Mamoru didn't even like her so why would it bother him?

She sighed and looked away, not really wanting to answer him just in case this was all some sort of trick. Still it didn't look like Mamoru was planning on moving unless she answered him and she really should at the very least tell him her friends hadn't done anything to her. Besides, he really did seem concerned about her … maybe Mamoru wasn't a complete jerk after all. Usagi returned her gaze back to Mamoru, hesitated a second longer, before saying, "Alright, I'll tell you but you have to promise not to laugh or anything. I … I don't think I can handle that today."

At first Mamoru thought that Usagi was going to continue refusing to answer him and for some reason he started to feel just a little hurt. He knew that he teased and taunted her constantly, but she had to know that he wasn't the kind of guy that would just ignore a girl when she was crying … especially if she was someone he knew. He knew they weren't friends, not really, but they were companions and he really did want to help if he could. Couldn't she see that he was really concerned about her here?

He relaxed a little when Usagi turned back to look at him, removing one of his hands from the wall and absently catching hold of a few strands of her hair as a breeze blew them near. Mamoru idly played with the strands, moving it through his fingers and watching in fascination as the sun caught on them and turned it to gold. Nodding in response to her question he turned his gaze back to her as he solemnly murmured, "I won't laugh Usagi, now or ever … not about whatever it is you tell me anyway. I promise. Please trust me on that."

Usagi's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening just a little when Mamoru began playing with her hair. He really hadn't ever done that before, just what was with him today. She forced her eyes back to Mamoru when he responded to her, nodding her head in acceptance of his words. She was very determined to ignore the feel of his hands in her hair. This entire situation was just really odd, very unreal. Mamoru's strange behavior was starting to make it a little hard to concentrate on anything but him.

Hands fiddling uneasily with the hem of her shirt, Usagi hesitated a moment, before taking a deep breath and saying, "It … it was a guy. He … he ..." Usagi's words came to a halt, staring at Mamoru in bewilderment when his hand suddenly tightened in her hair and his gaze darkened to an angry blue-black color. "Ma … Mamoru?"

The moment Usagi had mentioned that it was a guy that had hurt her, Mamoru's temper nearly skyrocketed. Images of Usagi with some guy filtered through his head making him uncomfortably angry for reasons he couldn't begin to understand. They were barely even friends, friendly enemies, daily bantering partners … whatever you wanted to call them, but nothing more. There was no reason at all that he should care whether Usagi went on a date with someone and yet he couldn't deny that hot surge of anger that had flooded his very being the moment she mentioned that it was a guy that had hurt her. Remembering that it had been this guy that had hurt her made Mamoru even more furious. This guy had not only gone out with Usagi, he had dared to hurt her.

Realizing that he was probably pulling Usagi's hair and that she was staring at him in bewilderment, Mamoru relaxed his hold and allowed the golden strands to slide away from him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, attempting to steady himself and regain control of his temper before carefully asking, "Usagi … this guy, he didn't … what did he do? How did he hurt you?"

Usagi swallowed nervously, eyes once again sliding away from Mamoru and focusing on everything but him. This was even harder then she thought it would be. The conversation was hardly something she enjoyed discussing with him. More then that though he was acting so odd and making her feel off kilter, it was confusing to say the least.

She gave a startled jump, her eyes flying back to Mamoru's, when he called her name and she felt his hand touch her cheek gently. Usagi gave him a wide eyed stare, mouth gaping slightly in surprise, pulse racing, as she tried hard to resist the urge to lean into Mamoru's touch. She briefly closed her eyes, struggled to pull herself together and steady her emotions, before reopening her eyes and once again focusing on Mamoru.

Gathering her courage and desperately trying to ignore Mamoru's nearness, she once again attempted to tell him why she had been upset. "Tokito, that's the captain of the soccer team, started paying attention to me a few days ago. I was so excited because he hadn't ever done so before and I hadn't really expected to ever do so. He usually talks to all the popular girls. I'm far from being popular, but he actually came over to talk to ..." Usagi's words slowed to a halt once more when she noticed that Mamoru was looking furious again. This was hard enough without him glaring at her. Why was he so upset? He was the one that had asked her what was wrong.

Mamoru gritted his teeth together the moment he heard 'Tokito, captain of the soccer team'. It was a name he knew well, in fact they had a class together. The guy usually had a different girlfriend every day of the week. True he was the star soccer player for the school and the captain of the team, but he also had a reputation for treating girls less then perfect. It infuriated him more then it probably should to think that he had chosen his innocent little odango for his next conquest. Of course that little thought had his temper diving into confusion for a moment … 'his odango?' When the heck did she become his anything? It was then that he realized Usagi wasn't talking anymore. She was just staring at him with an expression of mingled curiosity, wariness, and irritation. He gave her a startled look and asked, "What? What's wrong? How come you stopped talking? You were suppose to be telling me what happened, remember?"

Usagi bit her lip gently, staring at Mamoru curiously, trying to figure out what he had been thinking about a moment before. Finally she just shrugged and said, "You were glaring angrily at me and I was wondering what I had done this time, that's all." She paused for a moment, still watching him curiously before adding, "Were you mad at something?"

Mamoru gave her a searching look, his eyes holding an emotion she couldn't quite define. Suddenly he reached over and tucked a curl behind her ear before saying, "I was angry yes, but not at you. It isn't very important right now, finish your story please? I really want to know what hurt you."

Usagi's eyes widened in surprise, a soft gasp making its way past her lips when Mamoru reached over and tucked a curl behind her ear. Her heart was beating frantically within her chest as he slowly pulled away so that he could look down at her again. Her hands fisting in her skirts, Usagi stared uncertainly up at Mamoru for a few moments remaining quiet even if he had asked her something. Her head was somewhat fuzzy with confusion. She couldn't understand any of this, this was definitely not the way Mamoru should be acting even if she had been crying.

Manami narrowed her gaze slightly as she watched the interplay between Usagi and Mamoru. She was correct in assuming that there was nothing between the two except irritation right? It certainly didn't look like it right now. On most occasions that she had ever seen the two of them together they were yelling at each other. That is why, although she hadn't been happy, she hadn't been terribly concerned that Mamoru had gone to speak to the girl. Watching him interact with Usagi however was starting to make her think that there was more going on between the two. Playing with the girl's hair and the gentle touches Mamoru kept giving Usagi, those were all signs of something weren't they? Yes, of course they are … but maybe the two of them hadn't even realized it yet. She frowned, her eyes narrowing further as she continued to glare at the couple before her. Manami wouldn't let this happen. She wasn't going to lose Mamoru now, not when she had gotten him this far.

Aware that Mamoru was still watching her and waiting for an answer, Usagi swallowed down her nervousness and said, "I … I was crying because .." She nibbled at her lip a moment before shaking her head and murmuring, "I can't just tell you baka, I have to lead up to the story. You have to understand why I was there."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Well, here is chapter 2. This one was a little hard to write, but I got it worded where I liked it well enough finally. As I said in chapter 1 I will work on chapter 3 as soon as I can, but I want to try and work on lust or love first. Be patient ^_^, I'm enjoying writing ... it's just hard sometimes. I hope that you enjoy it well enough. Now on to the story ...

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Mamoru smirked down at the little rabbit, both amused and happy that she seemed to have gotten a little of her spark back. "I'll never understand anything with you just standing there Odango. If you want to lead up to your story then do so, but you have to say something."

Usagi glared mildly up at the upperclassman, though in reality she was a little relieved. Teasing her and calling her odango was something Mamoru ordinarily did, maybe he would stop all of this strange behavior soon. "A … Anyway Tokito came over to talk to me. At the time he seemed interested in me, he even asked me out on a date. That's why I'm here, this is where he was going to take me."

Mamoru nodded for her to continue, resisting the urge to point out that he could have figured out that last one on his own. There was something else circling in his thoughts that concerned Tokito, but he couldn't quite catch on to it. He focused his attention more on Usagi, knowing that eventually she would probably give him the knowledge he wanted.

Usagi shifted a little, wishing that Mamoru wasn't focusing all of his attention on her. It might be easier to tell him the story then, but oh well. Mamoru always did whatever he chose to do very intently, he had done so for as long as she had known him. She closed her eyes briefly, swallowing down her unease. This next part was going to be the hardest, the most painful to tell.

Reopening her eyes, she took a deep breath and said, "To … Tokito he asked me to meet him at that cafe that everyone from school hangs out in. We had lunch and then he took me here. We rode on some of the rides and played some of the games. He said that it was one of the best dates that he had ever been on and that I … that I was the most be … beautiful girl." Usagi swiped her hand across her cheek to get rid of the tear that was slowly making its way down, "I thought … I thought we were having fun Mamoru, I really did but … but I was wrong."

Usagi looked so hurt then that Mamoru had difficulty resisting the urge to draw her into his arms. He really didn't like seeing her in this state, whatever Tokito had done he was going to regret it. First though, Usagi … he would make sure she was ok and then he would hunt his classmate down. He forced himself to relax, gesturing at Usagi to continue her story. He needed to know exactly what happened so that he could know how best to punish Tokito.

Usagi took another breath, attempting to calm the rapid beating of her heart. Tokito had really hurt her with the things he had said, but somehow she felt certain that Mamoru had the potential to hurt her further. She didn't know why because Mamoru always made fun of her and it usually didn't bother her, but she just knew that she wouldn't be able to bear it if he were to agree with Tokito once she told him what he had said. Still Mamoru didn't seem inclined to leave her alone unless she told him so she might as well get it over with.

Fiddling nervously with the hem of her shirt once more and keeping her eyes trained to the ground, Usagi murmured, "Tokito started to play one of the booth games and asked me if I wanted one of the stuffed animals. He said he could win one for me, any one that I wanted. There were a few cute ones there so of course I said that I would love one. He merely nodded and went back to playing the game. It took him six tries, but he did manage to win one of the smallest ones. It was a tiny pink rabbit ..."

Usagi's lips curled into a self-deprecating smile as she added, "I suppose you don't really need to know that last little bit did you ..." She nibbled on her lip nervously for a few moments before continuing once again. "He took my hand and dragged me away from where most of the people were, down toward the edge of the carnival behind a couple of unused booths." She pointed in the direction she had been referring too, never noticing Mamoru's jaw tightening as his worst suspicions seemed to be coming true.

Still keeping her eyes downcast Usagi said, "I didn't know why he wanted to go over there. It didn't seem like a very fun place to me, but I trusted him so I followed willingly enough. Once we got there he ..." Usagi hesitated slightly, biting down on her lip almost painfully. This was turning out to be even harder then she had originally anticipated. At this point, all she'd really like nothing better then to run away. She'd go home and curl up on her bed and have herself a good cry, maybe even tell Luna what had happened. That would be easier then explaining the details to Mamoru and she was sure that her little guardian advisor would know how to make her feel better.

Unfortunately, Mamoru was still blocking her escape and he still didn't seem terribly inclined to move any time soon. If she wanted to go home she would have to give him what he wanted, a completed explanation. She might as well get it over with as quickly as she could so that she could hurry home so that Luna could start making her feel better.

There was a very small part of her that cringed at the idea of leaving the safety of Mamoru's arms. His concern did warm her heart a little, even if he was a jerk most of the times. If she was really honest with herself she would admit that Mamoru's attention was making her feel just a tad bit better. She wasn't alone any way, but she wasn't ready to even begin admitting that to anyone not even herself. Usagi was about to gather her courage once more so she could finish her story when her eyes suddenly widened in surprise at Mamoru's next actions.

Mamoru reached out, took her chin in his hand, and gently forced her to meet his gaze. His heart ached when he saw her her tear filled eyes glimmering with so much pain. He longed to pull her into a hug so that he could soothe the hurt away, but he resisted the urge. He didn't want to scare her away, he really needed her to tell him what was wrong. She was sure to resist his efforts anyway and besides, this was Usagi he was looking at. She wasn't even a friend, barely an acquaintance. She was merely that annoying little brat that he loved to argue with every time he saw her. He couldn't understand why it was so important to him to find out how she had been hurt so that he could make it better. He shouldn't be finding it difficult to resist the urge to draw her into his embrace. When he was certain he had her attention, Mamoru spoke, his intense concern clear in his voice, "Usagi, what's wrong? What did Tokito do? Why were you crying. Tell me, please ..."

Mamoru was unable to resist the urge to brush away a single tear that made its way down, his fingers softly brushing the smooth skin of her cheek as he did so. He felt her stiffen beneath his fingers, her eyes widening even more then they already were, and could have kicked himself. What on earth was he doing? He was suppose to be trying to get her to trust him so that she would talk to him, not making her more uncomfortable then she already was. Still he found he didn't have the strength of will to remove his hand as he pleaded softly, "Please trust me. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise you that ..." Depending on whatever it was he had actually done to Usagi, Mamoru stoutly refused to promise no harm would come to Tokito however.

Usagi sucked in a shaky breath as she looked up at Mamoru, swallowing uncomfortably. This wasn't how they were suppose to be acting. She couldn't understand what had changed, but she knew something had. She couldn't deny the jolt of excitement surging through her body at Mamoru's touch and she was smart enough to figure out that it was there. She wasn't at all certain of the reasons behind what she was feeling, but she did know enough to realize that it was all due to Mamoru's caress. She couldn't understand why she was feeling that way though. This couldn't be right, she knew it couldn't. They were enemies, nothing more. This was all wrong … wasn't it? She really needed to pull away, tell him what he wanted to know, and then escape to her bedroom and the care of Luna.

She couldn't help leaning slightly in to his touch even as she was thinking she should pull away. There was just something about this that felt right, even if it was all wrong. Usagi nibbled nervously at her lip, her heart speeding up as his gaze dropped to her mouth for a fraction of a second before returning to looking into her own eyes.

Usagi could see the truth in his eyes, could see that he had no intention of hurting her and it soothed away her unease a little. "A … alright Mamoru," she breathed softly, her lips trembling as he unconsciously drew his thumb gently across their soft flesh.

Mamoru gritted his teeth together in surprise, as an intense longing suddenly rocked through him the moment he had run his thumb across her mouth. His very being ached to taste of those lips, but he knew better then to even try. In fact, it kind of unnerved him to even think about it really. He wasn't an innocent. He knew what it was that he was feeling. He just couldn't understand why he was feeling it now.

There hadn't been anyone other then his beautiful princess that had ever caught his attention for anything more then friendship and he refused to believe that Usagi of all people could be that person. He had been around her innumerous times since he had met her and hadn't felt a thing other then annoyance. So what had changed? Why now of all times was he feeling attracted to her when he hadn't ever done so before? Except for the times she fell on him he hadn't ever spent this much time in close proximity to her before, but still … this was just ridiculous right? Tomorrow things would more then likely go back to normal, him taunting her and her screeching adorably. He was suppose to be comforting her like any friend would and then leaving her to go back to whatever it was he had been doing earlier today. He really needed to pull away and just wait calmly for her to tell him what was wrong so that he could go and punish Tokito for daring to harm her. Unfortunately, even though his thoughts warned him to pull away he wasn't able to find the strength to pull away. In fact he wasn't able to resist the urge to shift just the slightest bit closer as he asked softly, "Alright?"

"I'll trust you," she whispered breathlessly, and he could feel even the tiniest movement of her lips as she spoke the simple words that meant so much more then they probably should.

* * *

As she watched the scene before her, fury began glinting within Manami's dark brown eyes. The longer Mamoru stayed over there next to that little freshman upstart, the more he seemed to be falling for whatever attraction was calling to him. This was really starting to make her angry, furious in fact. Whether Mamoru realized it yet or not didn't matter, what mattered most was that he was her new boyfriend and if Usagi thought that she was going to be allowed to steal him with this hurting innocent act she was going to be sorely mistaken. Manami didn't intend to lose the guy that she had been fancying since she had first seen him in her own freshman year.

As far as Manami was concerned Usagi was nothing compared to her. She was only a freshman, while she was a senior. Usagi's grades certainly didn't compare to her own, while Manami hadn't ever seen the blonde's grades the whole school knew she was terrible at her lessons. Usagi wasn't athletic or graceful, she was the clumsiest girl that Manami had ever seen. She wasn't popular or sophisticated in the slightest. So why was it that Mamoru seemed almost ready to devour her on the spot when he was having to pretend to have fun with Manami herself? Manami wondered if Mamoru even remembered she was standing here waiting for him to return to their date. What was it about this brazen little hussy that had Mamoru forgetting all about what he was suppose to be doing?

Usagi couldn't compare to most of the girls in her own freshman year, much less the seniors. So why was the hottest guy in school paying her so much attention? True Usagi was playing up the damsel in distress scenario, but Mamoru shouldn't be falling for that. Manami didn't even think he liked Usagi since they were always arguing, but she was beginning to think she had miscalculated that thought. It was becoming increasingly obvious to her that Mamoru was extremely attracted to the little blonde. Which brought her back to her previous thought, why?

She supposed it didn't really matter in the end. What mattered was getting Mamoru away from Usagi so that they could get on with more important things, like their date for a start. The question was, how was she suppose to be able to do that? If she went over there and demanded Mamoru's attention while he was playing knight in shining armor to Usagi's damsel in distress he would get angry. If he got angry then he'd never listen to her, in fact he'd probably shun her forever more.

So was it better to allow him to continue comforting the blonde without her interruption and hope that things would right themselves afterwards? She could always insist that he come back over to finish their date just as soon as he had discovered whatever had made the girl cry in the first place. That was a risky plan though. There was always the chance, slim though it was, that Usagi could seduce Mamoru to stay with her. It was better to get them apart as quickly as possible, but how?

Manami pondered over her dilemma for a few moments before remembering Motoki and Reika. If she recalled correctly she had often seen Usagi chattering happily with Motoki. He seemed to consider the smaller blonde a friend, a little sister of sorts. If she could find the both of them, perhaps Motoki would be willing to take over comforting his 'little sister'. If Motoki would get rid of Usagi for her, she could get Mamoru back on track.

That would save her from having to be the bad guy and having Mamoru get angry with her. Surely he wouldn't mind Motoki taking care of Usagi like he always seemed to be doing. It would only be saving him that kind of trouble after all. He would be grateful for her interference, after all the whole school knew how he was always proclaiming that the small blonde was the most annoying girl ever to walk the halls.

She was certain that finding Motoki would be both the easiest and best plan of action, though she'd have to leave Mamoru and Usagi alone here for a few minutes so that she could find out where Motoki and Reika had gone. They couldn't haven't gotten too far. Glaring one last time in Usagi's direction, though she wasn't even noticed, Manami hurried off in the direction that she had last seen Motoki and Reika headed in.

If this plan didn't work then she was going to have to come up with Plan B because Usagi wasn't going to steal Mamoru away from her. She was going to get him back and once she had him back by her side Manami had no intention of leaving him until he was hers. She had come this far by finally getting him to agree to come on a date with her, she wasn't losing now … especially not to a plain little freshman girl like this one.

* * *

Usagi honestly couldn't say why she trusted Mamoru, after all she barely knew him and the little she did know didn't really show her that he could even be nice to her much less be someone she could trust. Against reason and logic however, Usagi found that she did indeed trust him. She was still very much aware that for reasons she couldn't even begin to explain to herself, Mamoru had the power to hurt her more then she'd ever been hurt before. Despite that fact, Usagi knew that she could trust Mamoru implicitly with her heart, her very life in fact.

She gave him a shaky smile, before leaning into the wall at her back so that she could use its solid surface to steady herself. As he lowered his hand, she reflexively clutched it, almost like a lifeline. Before taking a deep break and beginning her tale once more, her voice wavering slightly despite her best efforts at calmness.

Hearing not only the quiver in her voice, Mamoru could feel Usagi's hand trembling lightly as she held on to his and knew that she was still nervous about telling him whatever it was Tokito had done. Still, the fact that she had said she trusted him made his heart warm with a feeling he didn't quite understand. Without conscious thought Mamoru held more firmly to her hand, gently running his thumb over her wrist in an instinctive caress meant to soothe her a bit so she could tell her story a little easier.

Far from soothing Usagi's nerves, Mamoru's touch was very nearly stealing the breath from her, causing her heart to beat far more rapidly then it should be. Still she didn't have the strength or will to pull away and so she did her best to ignore the tingling of her skin and merely said, "Once we got back behind those booths and out of sight, I asked him why he had brought me there and told him it didn't seem very much fun to me. He said on the contrary, there were a lot of fun things the two of us could do together, things more fun then the carnival would ever be. Then before I could even blink Tokito, he ..."

A flush spread over her cheeks, her eyes drifting momentarily shut in humiliation from the entire ordeal, as she swallowed down her unease and said, "Tokito pushed me against the back of the booth and tried to kiss me, n … not to mention putting his hands where they didn't belong. I didn't want that, I didn't want anything like that. I … I barely knew Tokito and so I struggled against him and begged him to let me go."

Usagi reopened her eyes, tightening her grip on Mamoru's hand in a desperate need of support. Another tear made its way down her cheek when she looked up at Mamoru, eyes dark with emotion as she shook her head and said, "I didn't want that Mamoru, I … I barely knew Tokito and so I struggled against him and begged him to let me go. I did … I tried to get free, but he wouldn't let go. You understand, don't you Mamoru? I tried ..."

Mamoru reacted on instinct, immediately pulling her to him, bringing her into an embrace. He held her close and ran his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion as he murmured into her hair, "You didn't do anything wrong Usagi. Of course I understand, you don't need to ask that … I understand. I promise. It was Tokito, not you … nobody is going to blame you."

Mamoru couldn't remember ever feeling as murderous towards anyone as he did right then, not even the Dark Kingdom had caused him to be quite as vengeful. He was most definitely planning to hunt his classmate down and see to it that he realized how much of a grievous mistake it had been to even consider the idea of hurting Usagi. Luckily he happened to know where the guy tended to hang out most evenings and if all else failed Mamoru knew where Tokito lived. By tonight he fully intended on making Tokito regret his decision to ask the little blonde out, not to mention daring to lay a hand on her in any way, much less actually hurting her and making her cry. That just wasn't going to go unpunished, but first he had to finish making certain Usagi was ok and no longer needed him.

After a moment Mamoru pulled back enough to be able to look down at her as he gently asked, "Usagi, can you finish your story? Can you tell me what happened? Did he hurt you? Did he ..."

Usagi immediately shook her head in the negative, curling her fingers impulsively into his shirt as she looked up at him. "He didn't hurt me Mamoru, well not like that anyway. I promise. I managed to struggle away before he could do anything more then touch and try to kiss me."

When all was said and done Tokito might be the captain of the soccer team and the most popular senior in school, but she was Sailor Moon. A normal high school guy wasn't going to be able to prevent her from breaking form his grip when she really wanted to be free no matter how hard he tried to keep her there. Makoto would be proud, probably the other three as well. She had been honest in saying that Tokito hadn't been able to do anything more then try to kiss her and make her uncomfortable with his touch. It never even occurred to her to wonder why Mamoru wasn't making her uncomfortable. Other then making her feel as though something major had changed between them and not really knowing what it was, Mamoru was merely making her feel safe and protected. There was of course more, but she couldn't even begin to describe the new feelings that Mamoru was causing and frankly she didn't really want to at the moment.

Mamoru watched Usagi cautiously for a moment, trying to decide if she were lying about what had happened. He was worried that she wouldn't tell him the truth because of humiliation, or maybe she just didn't trust him enough to tell him the truth. He couldn't really believe Tokito had just decided not to do something, that wasn't the kind of guy he was. Still she had said she trusted him so he didn't think she would lie to him. Besides, she hadn't even wavered when she answered him in the negative. If she said he hadn't hurt her, then he hadn't hurt her. Perhaps she was only crying because it had scared her or something. She might have just made too many noises of protest or something and Tokito let her go. It was a public place, someone could have overheard her very easily and come to investigate. If that was the case then he was glad, he wasn't really certain what he would have done to Tokito if the guy had actually managed to hurt her in that way. It wouldn't have been pretty that was for sure. He was still going to hunt him down and make him regret everything of course, but at least he wouldn't actually have to murder the guy.

Wondering at his sudden intense protective instincts, Mamoru suddenly remembered that he was still loosely embracing the little blonde while she was pretty much clinging to his shirt. This wasn't a good position to be in, not one little bit. For many reasons such as it would cause too many questions if they were seen together in this way, but mainly because it was really causing that desire he had felt only a few moments ago to flare. That was the last thing Usagi needed, another guy coming on to her … especially one she technically thought of as an enemy.

Missing the faint trace of disappointment that crossed Usagi's gaze while as he did so, Mamoru was starting to disentangle his arms from about her when he remembered exactly what she had said only moments before. She had said that he hadn't hurt her, not like that anyway. That implied he had possibly done something else.

Mamoru immediately leaned forward, trapping Usagi against the wall again, her hands still caught between them. He reached up to catch hold of her chin so that he could gently force her to look up into his eyes once more. He could see surprise and perhaps bewilderment lingering in her gaze, but there was trust there too. She really had meant it earlier when she had claimed to trust him. He still couldn't understand the feelings that that caused to grow within him, but that wasn't really the important thing now. He wanted to get to the bottom of why she was crying, if there was more then he wanted to hear it.

"Usagi you said he hadn't hurt you, not like that anyway. Then how exactly did he hurt you? Were you crying because of something more then just that? Tell me please, I really want to know ..."

Usagi squirmed against him slightly in order to get more comfortable in his hold, causing Mamoru to groan softly, grinding his teeth together in frustration as her breasts rubbed against his own chest momentarily. Usagi froze instantly staring at Mamoru like a deer caught in headlights, her heart pounding in her chest both in fright and exhilaration. She wasn't at all prepared for the feelings that Mamoru's touch continued to give her today and she wasn't certain she ever would be, Still, when Mamoru began to pull away Usagi quickly tightened the grip she had on his shirt silently begging him not to move. Right then she wasn't really certain that she could handle him moving away, it was just too difficult to consider.

She might be something of an innocent and she might never have felt these feelings before, but she'd seen enough television and read enough romance books to know what it was she might be feeling. It scared her, especially because they were so intense and so sudden. Not to mention the fact that it was Mamoru, her nemesis, that was the one giving them to her.

Usagi couldn't understand why Mamoru of all people would be making her feel like that. She also couldn't understand why she wasn't more upset about this. She had after all just dealt with a guy trying to to force these very same feelings on her. She supposed that she ought to be somewhat jumpy at being in this kind of situation. She couldn't find it in her to be more then just a little nervous at the new feelings though. More then anything she just felt safe and protected within his arms.

As she had said earlier, she trusted Mamoru. He wouldn't hurt her like Tokito had tried to do. In all the time she had known him, Mamoru hadn't ever offered her any physical harm. He was hurtful with some of his words, but he wouldn't ever do anything like Tokito had attempted. Anyway, he was merely trying to comfort her, nothing more then that. She couldn't begin to believe that Mamoru would find her anything other then an annoyance. He was being nice now because she was upset, tomorrow would be an entirely different story. For all she knew she'd go back to feeling the same as she had even earlier that morning … but somehow she doubted it. Something had changed, she just wasn't certain what it was.

Mamoru stared down at her in confusion when Usagi held on to him. He really should move away, he knew that he should. This could only lead to confusion and difficulties neither of them needed right then. Despite his brain telling him that, his heart refused to allow him to do anything more then to continue on whatever path he walked upon. Besides, more then likely she was still shaken by whatever hurt Tokito had caused and since he was technically a companion and the only one around she was still in need of whatever comfort he could give her. He was glad to do that.

The moment Mamoru stopped trying to pull away, Usagi she buried her head in his shoulder trying to gather strength from his presence. "Tokito was really angry when I got away from him. He said some things that...that really upset me. That was why I was crying, the words he said really hurt."

She pulled away hesitantly, chewing on her lip slightly as she struggled with her words for a few moments, "I really thought that … that he was enjoying himself. I thought that he … that he really wanted to date me. I...I hadn't even considered that he was just playing games. I never even figured it out Mamoru, I didn't." She closed her eyes for a long moment, trying to find the proper words to say what she wanted to say. Just when Mamoru was about to decide she wasn't going to continue, Usagi determinedly continued her tale.

"Like I said, Tokito was angry that I wouldn't let him have his way. I told him that although I was having fun being with him I wasn't really interested in anything like that right then. I barely knew him after all and technically I wasn't really interested in something like that with anyone but the right someone, which he wasn't."

Usagi drew completely away from Mamoru then, pulling herself outside of the safety and warmth of Mamoru's arms. Since he was still standing only a few inches away directly in front of her, she still couldn't get around him very easily. Therefore she merely leaned as far back against the wall as she was able to, in an attempt to distance herself as best as she could.

The next part of what she was about to say was the part she knew Mamoru could hurt her with. She would still tell him of course, but she didn't want to be there in his arms when she did so. Despite the fact that she actually missed being there, she knew that it would break her heart should Mamoru agree. If she wanted to walk away with at least a little dignity then she had to be able to hide her feelings at least a little bit. She'd never be able to do that if she were being held against him.

Mamoru felt just a tad hurt when Usagi suddenly distanced herself from him. After all, she had been the one to get him to stay when he had tried to pull away earlier. Still he carefully kept the thoughts from his expression as he watched her and tried his best to convince himself it didn't really matter. It was actually a good thing, after all he was only here to make sure she was alright. Nothing more then that. If she didn't need him to comfort her in that way any more then that meant things would get back to being normal faster.

No matter how many times he told himself that however he didn't believe it. Things weren't going to go back to being the same and he desperately wanted Usagi back in his arms. Not only to make sure she was alright, but because it had felt right when she was there. Somehow her presence there had made him feel complete and he wanted it back. Quickly burying those thoughts into the back of his mind hopefully never to be seen again Mamoru summoned a sympathetic and caring expression as he waited for Usagi to continue. After all this was about making sure that she was alright before going after Tokito, his own feelings didn't matter. Besides, she would probably assume he had found some new way to torment her if he should mention those feelings to her. She'd never believe him and she definitely wouldn't return the feeling.

Forcing herself to relax just a little Usagi said, "After I told him all of that, Tokito begin laughing. He was laughing pretty hard, so I scrubbed the tears away and angrily asked him what he found so funny. Tokito sneered before telling me that if I wasn't even going to g...give him what he wanted, if I w...wasn't going to amuse him anymore, th...then he wasn't going to pl...play this game anymore. At my inevitable confused look Tokito's sneer turned into a smirk, a superior looking smirk. A lot like yours actually, but it was made so very different from yours because his eyes were far more cold and cruel then yours have ever been. Anyway, he continued st...staring at me with that cruel look in his eyes for a few minutes before he suddenly said that he couldn't believe that I really was too st...stupid to have figured out the truth yet."

Usagi brushed a few new tears away that had started to trace their way down her cheek. Remembering the next few words hurt just as much as they had when she first heard them. Her head hung in shame, eyes downcast, her gaze never once leaving Mamoru's shoes as the humiliation and pain came flooding back. Gathering her courage one last time Usagi pressed on determinedly, her voice thick with tears, "To...tokito informed me th...that it had all been a jo...joke. His buddies apparently dared him t...to go out on a d...date with s...some pathetic st...stupid person that they all agreed on. Since he was bo...bored with the n...normal girls he usually w...went out with. They th...thought that it m...might be fun to tr...trick some in...nocent st...stupid freshman into going on a d...date with him. They wa...wanted to see how f...far she'd allow them to g...get. To...tokito was su...suppose to ch...charm the chosen girl wi...with everything he had while they wa...watched from afar." The words came haltingly, as if they took a great effort to say them.

By this time Mamoru was reevaluating his plans not to murder Tokito and now his friends. He could hear the suffering in Usagi's tone and it was bringing back that lethal anger of a little while ago. How dare they decide to do something like that to any girl, but more importantly how dare they decide that Usagi should be the recipient of it. He was about to speak up, but he noticed that Usagi wasn't done speaking so he kept his thoughts to himself for the moment.

Usagi was quickly running low on the courage she needed to continue her tale, though she doggedly continued on. "He...he said that him and his buddies...they were really going to be la...laughing over this one for years to...to come. Th...that until the end there I...I had prov...provided them with the best...the best entertainment they had had in m...many a few weeks. Apparently he had been go...going over to his buddies to laugh with them all through the da...date. Laughing over li...little things I had done or said while talking to Tokito through the day."

She squeezed her eyes shut briefly, courage waning quickly. After taking another deep breath to steady herself Usagi finally continued, "I could only stare at him, not quite believe what he was saying. I mean, I didn't think anyone would ever do anything like that …." She bit her lip in indecision, hesitant to finish out her story. The next part was especially hard to say, hard to think about actually, but she had come this far so she might as well continue. "Tokito laughed to himself a little bit more before giving me looking down at me like I was some sort of a bug. He had an ugly sneer back on his face as he said that he was surprised I had actually thought it was real in the first place."

Usagi never noticed the growing look of rage on Mamoru's face as she continued, "He said that I wasn't very smart, my grades were horrible, and that I couldn't even really hold a decent conversation. He said I wasn't even very pretty, cute possibly but in no way beautiful. According to him guys only cared about the beautiful girls. Tokito said that I ate too much and was far too naive to be taken seriously. He said that...that I...that no one would ever think seriously of dating me." She leaned her head back against the wall staring at the sky above her. A few more tears traced their way down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around herself in an unconscious attempt to ward off more pain, whispering brokenly, "He said no one would ever really love me for more then just some...some entertaining toy of sorts. I wasn't good enough, not for something like that. I never would …."

Mamoru couldn't stand her pain, or the words she was saying any longer. Before she could even finish her last sentence he reached out and pulled her into his arms, clasping her to his chest, his voice a soft murmur against her hair, "It isn't true Usagi. None of it, don't believe a word. Any man would be lucky to even have two minutes to spend with you. You are a beautiful girl, both inside and out. Tokito is a brainless idiot that hasn't the faintest idea of the treasure he had and lost tonight. Please, please don't think badly about yourself like that."

Usagi didn't say anything right away, she merely lifted her head from Mamoru's chest and looked him in the eyes through her own watery gaze. She felt his thumb brush the tears from her cheek and shivered lightly at his touch. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, somewhere inside wishing that she could stay like this forever, wrapped in Mamoru's arms. She felt safe and protected, almost like she had finally come home when she was here, but she knew she couldn't. Mamoru didn't even really like her, he was merely trying to make her feel better because he knew she was the 'little sister' of his best friend. He was just taking care of her because she was a pitiful little freshman that he happened to know, no other reason then that.

Taking a deep breath in an attempt to steady her unsteady emotions, Usagi gave him another one of those self-deprecating smiles before saying in a sad and teary voice, "You don't have to cheer me up Mamoru. I promise, I'll be ok. You're only talking like this because we're both important to Motoki, that's all. Besides, some of those things he said, I know they're true … why shouldn't all of them be? There hasn't ever been any guy that has seriously wanted to date me. I've been so alone, so very alone for as long as I can remember. I'm not very smart and my grades are definitely horrible. You've said so yourself …"

She tried to pull away from Mamoru, but he held tight refusing to allow her to do so. He glared down half heartedly and growled, "I might have said it but I didn't mean it, not like that anyway. It was just fun teasing you, making you mad. Your grades aren't all that horrible, well ..." He smirked just a little as he added, "they are horrible, but that's only because you don't study. Not because you can't learn the work. As for guys wanting to seriously date you, any man that could spend any time with you at all and not love you before you had walked away is an idiot."

Mamoru reached up and touched her cheek so lightly that she wondered if she only imagined the touch. She looked up into dark blue eyes that were hooded and filled with an emotion she wasn't certain how to define. Usagi opened her mouth to say something, but Mamoru continued speaking. "Usagi, you bring a light to ..."

He clamped his mouth shut uneasily, aware that he had almost said far more then he had intended. Mamoru wasn't very comfortable finishing that sentence to anyone, much less her, so he merely finished with, "Can't you see that you make everyone around you happy odango? Surely that's proof enough that your a special person."

Mamoru reached a hand up to wipe away another of her tears with his thumb as he muttered, "Whether I came over because of Motoki or not isn't important, what is important is that you shouldn't listen to Tokito. As I already mentioned he is a brainless idiot." Usagi's eyes briefly fluttered shut as she leaned slightly into his touch before he suddenly drew back and let go of her completely, half wishing he could have stayed right where he had been. Placing his hands in his pockets Mamoru stared down at her uneasily, uncertain what to do now. There was really only three things he was very certain about.

_**One ...**_ he couldn't allow Usagi to think so horribly of herself. He kind of cursed the fact that he had aided in giving her that opinion, though he honestly hadn't ever meant for her to take any of it like that. It had only been a way to keep her at bay, because she had always had the potential to become something more then he was necessarily comfortable with.

_**Two ...**_ he was curious about this attraction he felt with Usagi. He had every intention of exploring it and finding out where it would go. He hadn't been lying when he said it would be easy to fall in love with her after all. He might never have noticed before because he had been stupid and in denial. However, she had always been a light in his life that kept life worthwhile, even though the only interactions they usually had were arguments. Mamoru hadn't really ever considered her as anything more then a daily amusement. However now that he had had her in his arms, had felt the spark of desire between them he wasn't about to continue to deny his feelings. He'd have to be stupid to do so and stupid wasn't usually something he was.

_**Three ...**_ as soon as he was done with Usagi and this carnival he had every intention of hunting down Tokito and making certain that he never dared to come near Usagi again. Him and his buddies were going to learn really quickly that he wasn't someone that you wanted as an enemy. In fact Mamoru could think of any number of people that would want to defend Usagi, Motoki and her friends for one. As he had said, she had a light that made everyone that met her fall in love with her. Tokito simply hadn't been smart enough to see what kind of treasure he had, but that was his loss and perhaps his gain.

Usagi blinked in surprise when Mamoru pulled away from her so suddenly. She had actually been enjoying being that close to him and she kind of missed his warmth. His words had been nice too, but she wasn't sure she should believe him. She was still was certain that he was only trying to be nice for whatever reasons he had conjured up and she couldn't help directing a somewhat skeptical look his way as he stood there staring back at her. Hadn't he pretty much told her that when he said that it didn't matter whether he was here for Motoki or not?

She bit her lip thoughtfully before saying, "It's very nice of you to say so Mamoru and I do appreciate it, I do. I appreciate everything you're doing. We don't even like one another, barely can spend two seconds together without getting on each others nerves, and you still came to help me. For that I'll always be grateful, believe me. It's just … it's just that no matter how grateful I might be I can't help but realize you're only saying these things to make me feel better. You don't really mean them." Usagi watched him raise an eyebrow in surprise at her words but before he could open his mouth to interrupt him she forged on with what she had been going to say.

"Guys, the ones that mean anything to me anyway, they never want to be anything more then a friend … if even that. Most guys tend to like pretty girls, just like Tokito said and I'm not a pretty girl. The guys in my class, they always look at Rei, Minako, Makoto, Ami, and other girls just like them. I've been so lonely for longer then I can remember. That was why Tokito managed to hurt me so much, but ..."

Usagi took a deep breath, scrubbing the last of her tears from her cheeks before adding, "It's ok though, you don't have to worry about me Mamoru. I've been fine for my entire life. I'll be fine now. You know me, I cry for awhile and then I'm fine. I'm always fine. I always bounce …."

She never got the chance to finish her sentence because Mamoru had pulled her back into his arms, capturing her mouth with his own. He was neither rough nor particularly gentle, but he kissed her with just a little bit of desperation. He just really hated hearing her sound so lonely and dispirited. Mamoru knew how it felt to feel all alone in the world and it wasn't a feeling that he wanted Usagi to feel. She wasn't alone and she certainly wasn't unwanted like she seemed to think. He couldn't stand the thought of her feeling that way and he acted before he had even really thought about what he was doing. The only thing he really registered was that the world was lost for a brief moment in time once he actually had kissed her.

* * *

Manami watched outraged as she saw Mamoru suddenly jerk Usagi into his embrace so that he could kiss her. She didn't know what had been going on even seconds before, but she could definitely see what was going on now. What was more, she was glad that she had decided to return. She had spent ten fruitless moments searching for both Motoki and Reika before deciding that she would never be able to find them in the crowd. At least not without taking more minutes then she felt she had to give They must have turned off down one of the other aisles or perhaps gone in a completely different direction then she had first thought. She had been uneasy with leaving Mamoru and Usagi alone in the first place and now she knew she had been justified in those thoughts. The young blonde had indeed been attempting to steal Mamoru away from her, she had been right all along. Manami darted back around one of the booths and leaned against the side of it, clenching her hands tightly together, her nails digging straight into her palms. She wanted to scream, and pull her hair out.

This wasn't fair. She had worked so hard to snare Mamoru into her trap and now some little unimportant freshman was trying to steal him away. She couldn't just let it happen, she wouldn't just let it happen. She had wanted Mamoru since the very first time she had seen him and she never lost what she wanted. There had to be something she could do, demand that he come back … something. At the very least Usagi was going to regret ever coming here today. Mamoru would be hers again and Usagi would really be crying in some lone dark corner. That was for certain, she merely had to figure out exactly what she was going to do next.


End file.
